Polar bears killed near Iqaluit

A polar bear and her two cubs were shot after being spotted on three different occasions foraging for food in Iqaluit. Much of the meat from the bears was consumed at a community feast on Jan. 3.

The bears had found leftover meat scraps by the beach. They had also managed to enter the city’s landfill site by a hole in the fence.

The Amaroq Hunters and Trappers Organization decided to kill the animals, rather than dart them for transport to another location, because after having been tranquilized, the meat would have been unfit for consumption, if the polar bears had returned and been put down later.

“We discussed it,” said Alden Williams, a wildlife officer with Nunavut’s department of sustainable development. “It was determined that the HTO would use two of their quota for the bears. That way, the animals could get utilized.”